Guardian Angel for a Murderer
by Kylie Waters
Summary: 65th Hunger Games. Iggy shows up. Plot twist at end. Please don't be mean. I don't own Hunger Games or Maximum Ride. I revised an earlier version for this. Have fun!
1. Entrance

**From the Perspective of Iggy Griffiths**

I roll over. My back is killing me. _Stupid White Coats. Stupid School. _I think. A cage is terrible to sleep in. I glance around. _Am I outside? _I stare up into the sky. It is a bright day with barely any clouds. The sun is shining so much that I have to squint to see anything. To see anything. See. See. "Ohmygod!" I scream, finally getting it, "I can see! I can fricken' see!" I scramble to my feet. The world looks so real. It is real. _I need to tell the others, _I think.

"Max! Guess what? I can see! Fang! Nudge! I'm not blind anymore! Gasser! Gazzy, where are you, bro?" I call out. Then I realize they aren't right next to me. None of them are responding from the forest or lake near me. I yell for them again, "Angel? Guys? Uh… report?" Still silence. I look around and see no art piece that I could have slept on. I close my eyes and feel around. Nothing feels familiar. _I didn't fall asleep here,_ I realize. I need to get an aerial view. I begin to run as fast as I can for a good takeoff. The best place to jump into the air is the shoreline of a nearby lake. I sprint towards the water until the very edge. I snap my wings open and feel the familiar rush of air. I flap down hard, needing to get higher. My wings must not have been used in a while because they shake and I get my right foot soaked in the lake. I slowly climb higher on my quavering wings until I can see where I am.

Under me is the lake I almost fell into, the edge of the water is spattered with cattails, next to it is the field that I woke up in. A dense deciduous forest surrounds the field and on a small peninsula across the lake is a low hill. I have to do a double take because on the hill is what looks like a Thanksgiving basket. Inside it I see movement, but I'm pretty sure I imagined that. _Am I crazy? _I wonder, _am I just having some insane dream where I can see? What if in real life I'm still blind? _I begin to feel panic coursing though my veins. My head begins to spin and the world seems to be in a washing machine, tumbling over itself again and again. I feel lightheaded and my flying is faltering. _Keep it together,_ I think, _keep it-. _A loud **BOOM!** Jostles me out of my thoughts. I take in deep breaths of air and try to calm myself down. _That sounded like a cannon. Someone must have fired it. That means that someone must be here._ I think. I scan the area for any signs of life, but I see nothing. The person obviously doesn't want to be found. I let my head drop in disappointment. _There!_ I think. A boy with hair the color of roasted chestnuts is standing, literally, right under me. He looks like a model, or a boy that Nudge would have a crush on at least. He has a Poseidon spear in his hand and he's standing over someone else in the water. He looks up at me, and grins like a devil. That's when I notice the blood.

_Blood!_ My head screams. I still can't register it fully. _He killed that other person! He's a murderer! He's seen me, but he can't reach me up here. What do I do with a murderer? He just killed that person! _My mind is racing faster than Max's super-flight-speed. I decide that the guy is insane. "Uh hey. What're you doing with the Poseidon-doohickey?" I shout, _better just humor Mr. Nutcase._

"My trident? Oh y'know," he pauses, weighing his weapon in his hand as if he just found it, "this and that." He gestures to the body. The dead body. I can't help but shudder.

I know I should fly away from him, but first I have to ask one more question. I gulp and carry on, "So, you know where we are?"

Again, he pauses and after thinking for a while before answering, "ten people, including us. Wait no, nine people." He prods the lifeless corpse. He can obviously see the confusion on my face because he adds more to his explanation saying, "four Careers, a pair from seven, and a guy from eleven. I almost got that guy, but he took a chunk out of me and I had to run." He points to a wound on his arm. I feel sick. He bends over the carcass and rips open the dead body's shirt. I see the puncture wounds all too clearly and I'm repulsed when the boy begins to take some items off of the corpse. I tell him to stop.

"Why should I? I need to… y'know." He indicates something with his hands. He acts like I should know what he's trying to say. I don't know.

"Its just wrong and-" I'm cut off by silence. I know it sounds weird, but when you're talking and suddenly it goes soundless, it's loud in a way. I gaze around. The birds have gone silent, probably hearing something I cant. Wait, I can hear it too, a soft humming in the total silence. I cock my head to the side, thank God for my enhanced hearing. Mr. Nutcase is staring at me with a smile playing across his lips. _Weirdo, _I think, _unless he knows something I don't know. _He suddenly jumps back and kicks the dead body away. _What the-, _I begin to think, but I'm interrupted by something whizzing past my ear like a bullet. It grabs the body that the boy killed and drags it up into the air. I'm too stunned to move. The dead body's leg hits me on the jaw and I fall.

"Hey cutie" the boy says silkily as I wake up and give him an ugly grunt. He returns with an annoying smirk and I have to blink again because life doesn't seem real yet, I mean, I can see him! He continues teasing me, "Your welcome, buddy. It was nothing to save your life." I glare at him and try to shake the pain from my head. He stops joking and gives me the facts, "Okay birdie, I like you, but unless you decide to become allies with me, I have to kill you. So, yes or no, to allies I mean." I nod the becoming allies. I really like my life and I want to keep it.

He helps me up after a while and tells me that we can walk to his camp. While we walk he begins to talk about his life to me, "My name's Finnick by the way. Finnick Odair. I live in District Four." Before he can finish his introduction I ask him what "District Four" is. He looks at me like I'm crazy, but he still begins to tell me something I sort of understand. "We are in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games pit twenty-four children from the twelve districts against each other. The twelve districts supply, luxury items, stone and ore, electronics, fish and other sea-related stuff, power, transportation, lumber, textiles, grain, livestock, agriculture stuff, and coal. There used to be a District Thirteen that supplied graphite and nuclear weapons, but they were over thrown when they revolted." He continues talking, but I zone out. My mind begins to wander as I listen to him talk and I think, _maybe he isn't crazy, he just wants to survive. Sort of what the Flock and I've been doing. I need to get out of here because I need to find the Flock. Are they watching us right now on a TV? Or did I get kidnapped from them and they're freaking out? Oh God I really need to get out of here._ He continues talking. The more he tells me about places called Panem and the Capitol the more questions I wonder about.

"So, do you think that the Capitol fixed my blindness? Because I can see now." I ask after a while. He stares at me like I just said that I was an Eraser or something.

"You were blind? I mean, I guess they could fix your eyes, but I haven't heard much about that technology." He replies. "I didn't know you were blind. Speaking of not knowing stuff about you, what's your back story?"

I gulp, _should I tell him the truth? The White Coats might use it against me or the Flock. _He looks at me expectantly and I begin to weave lies between my truths, "My name's Iggy and I'm fourteen. We have a dog we got from a friend. I, uh, was born blind and I got my wings because… because I was experimented on by my stylists before the Hunger Games." I give Finnick what I hope is a convincing smile. He obviously doesn't buy it, but he doesn't ask. We end up walking in silence until Finnick takes my arm and leads me behind a rock. He kicks aside a few cattails, slips through them and disappears into a cleverly disguised hole. _Wow, this guy is pretty intense. He knows how to survive better than the Flock. _I think. I offer to take first watch because I'm not sure I can trust him and he pleasantly agrees and lies down. Before he goes to sleep he grabs his trident and curls up with it. I look at him and think, _he's even prepared to fight when he's sleeping. I am so glad I became allies with him._ I lean against the muddy wall and hunker down for the night.

The sun is rising when Finnick wakes up and shakes the tiredness from his handsome face. He glances around and then says, "You didn't wake me up for your shift! You need to sleep, man." He sends a glare my way, but I can tell he's not actually mad. I give him an apologetic grin. He rolls his eyes and then says, "okay whatever, why don't I show you around the arena today so you can get your boundaries straight." I nod and we climb out of our makeshift home. He covers it up again and we set off into the forest. The trees rustle with a light wind and I hear familiar birdcalls, I stare at the birds. I have heard them most of my life, but never seen the birds. Finnick tells me some of their names. "I think that's a swallow 'cause it has the tail. I don't really know these ones very well, but I know pelicans and seagulls like the ocean currents." He boasts. _He's such a surfer-guy, _I think. We walk through the peaceful setting for an hour before I have to ask to rest for a while. He obliges and we sit near a small shrub. He tells me that the berries on it are called salmon berries and very popular with the children at his home.

"I can see why they like them. They're delicious!" I say as we start to eat our lunch of salmon berries. Finnick grins and stuffs more into his mouth. We talk a bit more. Finnick asks about the people in "my family" and I tell him about them. He asks a lot of questions about Max and her odd moments of questionable sanity. I ask him about his family and he tells me he has no siblings, but a bunch of girls back home keep ogling over him. Nudge would be one of them. We talk until I say we can keep walking. Finnick stands up and brushes some dust off of his pants. He stretches his arms and I can't help but stretch my wings to their full extent. He stares at them and lightly brushes them with his fingertips. His touch is extremely soft and he murmurs about them inaudibly like he is talking to a frightened animal. Then he realizes what he's doing and takes his hand back hurriedly. We both blush awkwardly.

"Well, better get going!" he calls as he sets off at a swift pace. I begin to follow him when a shriek pierces the calm forest. Finnick doesn't even pause. He's off running before I realize that the scream was human.


	2. Terra

**From the Perspective of Finnick Odair**

"Terra! Terra!" I bellow as I crash through the woods. My mind races, _Terra! My other tribute! Why did I leave her with the Careers? Terra! Please don't be dead Terra. Please don't be dead. _I remember training with her and how she was so quiet. _Is_ so quiet. I'm not going to let her die. I twist my ankle as I trip over a rock and I curse under my breath. I keep running. Terra was never my friend. She was more of an acquaintance. I used to fish with her. She would dive into the water and thrash about. The fish would swim off and into my net. She would always come out of the water coughing and smiling. We never really talked. We just gave each other smiles. I was glad when she was chosen in he reaping because Terra is one of those people I would want to win if I died. _I have to get to her, _I think.

"Finnick!" Iggy calls. He seems a bit crazy, but that's why I like him. He reminds me of a girl I met while swimming late at night before I left for the Games. He reminds me of her in the way he randomly looked away when I was talking to him when we first met. It was weird, but somehow charming. Also, he might have amnesia or something. He didn't even know what the Hunger Games are. I like him, but right now Terra is the one I need to get to.

I run into a clearing and see Terra. "Terra!" I say, glad that she is alive. She's coughing. It reminds me of our fishing adventures. I run over to her, she looks a bit weak. "Terra. You're okay. I was worried when I heard you scream. What was that about? Are you okay? Where are the others?" I have so many questions for her. Some are about the other Careers, but most are about her. She's like my little sister. She coughs again and I see a deep gash on her stomach. It looks fatal. I feel my throat close up.

I scream her name as she lies on the ground. She is coughing up blood, like the way she coughed up the seawater of our home. Her pretty gray eyes look hollow and her usually dirty-blonde hair is matted with sludge and her own blood. I blink back a few tears at the sight of her sad disrepair. I gently lift her head off the ground and look into her eyes. I say her name again and they fix on me.

"Odair?" she whispers. She used to call me that while we worked together. A fat tear slides out onto my lashes and falls onto her broken body.

"Hey" I say softly to her. She looks at me with such hurt that I have to ask her, "What happened Terra?"

She looks at me and chokes out an answer. "Rupalia." I nod silently, too miserable for words. I brush some hair out of her eyes and whisper her name over and over saying that she can hang on and that it's okay. She gives me a bittersweet smile and a bit of blood trickles from the corner of her mouth. "Y'know ever since I met you Odair, I have loved you a bit." She gives a light giggle.

"Terra…" I whisper. I never knew that about her. I mean, lots of girls like me, but I never thought of Terra liking me. I nod and give her a hug. Not an awkward kind with open eyes and stiff arms, but a protective kind. I wrap my arms around her small frame and hold her close. She rests her head on my shoulder and I tug her close. When I finally let go she is gone. Forever. I already heard the **BOOM!** Terra is dead and because of what she did, Rupalia will die too.

As if on cue, when I look up and lay Terra down, Rupalia is standing there, smirking. "How touching, Finnick. You know you should have stayed with us, you were the only reason we kept that worthless pixie alive." She spits out. My mind clears the sadness and all I can think about is killing Rupalia and the rest of the Careers. My head goes into fighting mode and all that I know about her comes running through my head, _Rupalia Lavender Rowtien. Sixteen. District Two. Fights with a sword. Right-handed._

I pull my trident out of the leather strap I keep it in on my back. Rupalia takes a step back in surprise. She expected me to cry or do something pathetic, not to fight back. I thrust my trident at her and she blocks it with her sword. She stabs at me and I hit her in the arm with the blunt end of my weapon. She drops her sword and I stab her, a non-fatal wound in the arm. She gasps, but still snatches her sword up and jabs at me. We are now evenly placed and we size each other up. We both know the other one's moves. We both saw their attack at the Cornucopia and how they fight. All that matters is timing. Rupalia strikes first, but I expected her to and I barely get grazed. I have the upper hand though, she doesn't know my weakness, but I know hers. "Guess what Rupalia," I hiss, "Your little sister is going to watch you die." She didn't expect that and she lets her guard down. Her eyes widen and her mouth forms a little _o. _I stab her in the chest, through her lungs. She struggles for a breath and stares at me. The last thing she will ever hear is her own cannon fire. The last thing she will ever see is my merciless face.

I hear another Career, Valencia or Phox, stumbling through the woods. They probably heard the fight and decided to come. I can hear them mumbling about if Rupalia has killed Terra and I snap. I roar a war cry and dive into the undergrowth thirsting for their blood.

**From the Perspective of Iggy Griffiths**

I stumble through the forest after Finnick. I'm winded and I have a stitch in my side. I decide I'm better at flying than running. I can hear him snarling somewhere in the bushes and I wonder what happened. _What's terra?_ I think, _isn't that some type of clay or whatever?_ I stagger a bit farther and I trip over a rock. I fall on the ground face first and get a mouthful of dirt. I turn my head to see a girl's face, not a rock at all. Her hair reminds me of the one time I saw Max's hair in the snow and ice. I am about to ask her who she is, when I see the blood staining her lips.

"Max!" I call, even though I don't know her name. She stares silently and I know she is dead. Her gray eyes emit nothing and I feel my throat close up. I lean over to shut her eyelids, a move I saw many times as I grew up in the School with Jeb. Suddenly an arrow shoots over my head. I suck in a breath of air as I fall backwards in surprise. I twist to see my attacker. It is a girl with glossy black hair and sharp blue eyes. She is pointing another arrow at me. I go into full fighting mode, another perk of fighting for your life all the time. I tackle the girl who shrieks angrily and swipes at me with a wickedly pointed knife. I wince as it slashes my arm and blood begins to escape from the wound.

"DOWN!" Finnick's voice commands me and I obey, slamming myself against the ground and accidentally hitting my head on a root. My eyes begin to water and I blink through the pain. I see Finnick's trident lodge itself in the tree where Rupalia's head had been.Finnick coils and then kicks out rapidly, hitting her squarely in the stomach. She clutches her abdomen for a second before she lets another arrow fly. This one lodges itself in Finnick's forearm and he grimaces as he pulls it out, holding back a whimper. He hits her in the shoulder with his elbow.

"You traitor!" she screeches as she pulls out the longer dagger and attacks Finnick with it.

"I'm the traitor? You just killed Terra!" He sputters as he blocks her blow.

"So?" she says, "You killed Rupalia! We only killed Terra because she wasn't needed! You're such a sucker for the weak ones, Finnick. Why'd you leave us for that mutt anyway?" She hits him with the back of her bow and he stumbles back. She points at me with her finger.

Finnick's face flushes with anger and he answers with, "He's not a mutt! Rupalia was trying to kill me! You're insane, Valencia!" Valencia lashes out with her dagger again, slicing a thin line of Finnick's cheek. He fakes a jab at her neck. She tries to block it, but he swings his trident at her feet, tripping her. He holds the weapon at her neck, breathing heavily. Her eyes widen as she begins to cry.

**From the Perspective of Finnick Odair**

"Phox! Phox!" Valencia calls out to her fellow Career. Her voice breaks pitifully and my grip weakens on my trident. She looks at me and pleads, "Finny, please. I'm your friend Finny. Please…" Tears are now streaming down her dirty face and leaving clean stripes. I look into her eyes, they are the color of the sea when it is sunny out and beg for mercy. I'm not sure if I can kill Valencia. When I was still with the Careers, Valencia, Terra, and me would laugh and talk. Valencia would always fall asleep on her shifts so I would stay awake with her. One memory of those days comes surging back. _Finny, _she had whispered, _I'm afraid of the stuff in the dark. _She had looked at me with those same blue eyes and I had wrapped my arm around her and told her that Phox was bigger so they would eat him first. She laughed at my logic. The memory is so simple yet so meaningful to me. I begin to lower my arm when Iggy proves his worth.

"Finnick!" he cries, "Kill her! Her friend is coming!" He is waving his arms like crazy and pointing towards the forest. I see Phox crashing through the forest and time slows down.

I stand perfectly still from the terror known as Phox. His dark brown hair is spiky and his eyes are so dark they look black. When I first met him I thought he looked cool, but now he just looks like a mutt himself. Valencia scrambles backward, creating a perfect path for Phox to kill me. She is still crying, almost like she doesn't want to kill me. Phox draws his sword and bellows like a charging bull, but Iggy is already moving. He spreads his wings to their full extent and surges forward. He snatches me by my arm and then grabs Valencia's knife out of its sheath. He soars up to sky with me awkwardly hanging from his arm. His flying is lopsided because of my weight and I can tell he won't be able to hold on for me for very long.

"Iggy!" I call, "Let me go over Phox. Drop me on his head. I can manage." He gives a tight nod and lets me fall close to Phox's head. Phox grunts like an animal as I begin my fight.


	3. Alone and Naked?

**From the Perspective of Iggy Griffiths**

I sail back up to the heavens. Nothing is as beautiful as the top of the world, but the experience is made sweeter by Valencia's dumb look at her sheath where her dagger used to be and then at me with disbelief. I can't help but smile because she just stares at me stupidly while Finnick and the other boy, Phox I think, have a man-brawl. I dive towards Valencia brandishing her very own knife. Her eyes grow huge as I place a long slice down her shoulder. She whirls and points her bow at my heart. She lets the string go and the arrow flies towards me. I swerve to the side. The arrow doesn't hit my heart, but my wing. I swallow my moan of pain and I try to land gracefully. It doesn't work and Valencia dives towards me. I pull the arrow out of my wing and grab Valencia around the waist with the same movement. She kicks at me, but I'm much stronger than her. I take a dozen painful swoops up to the sky. She wails as I open my arms and drop her. I turn away and close my eyes as a sickening **THUMP!** Sounds. I circle down and rest in a tree because I cannot face the dead girl. Killing is what the White Coats do, not me. I hear cannon fire, but I still don't look.

"Hey Iggy. You can open your eyes now, everyone is…" Finnick mutters sadly, "…dead." I turn and see Finnick, his forehead beaded with sweat and a bit of blood. He gives me a weak smile, but he looks a bit worn out and tired. I nod and we both silently go back to camp with our enemies blood staining our hands.

I don't remember going to sleep, but when I wake up I'm alone. "Finnick?" I ask. Yesterday's fight has my mind on edge and I begin to think of the worst, _What if in my sleep Finnick was killed? I think we fell asleep at the same time. None of us were keeping guard! He was killed! Or maybe someone just took him and is torturing him! Who would do that though? Maybe the pair from District Two or… the guy from Seven! I bet he's hurting Finnick! I have to find them! _I feel alarm as my heart begins to beat faster. I feel the spot next to me. It's warm from his body, so he must've been taken lately. I push myself off of the mucky floor and poke my head out of our cattails-hut. I feel relief wash over me as I see Finnick washing himself down in the lake.

_Oh thank- _I begin to think then I realize that he's washing himself. Naked. Nude. In the raw. I haven't seen guy parts ever since I became blind. I was eleven when that happened so for three whole years I have never seen any guy parts. I blush brighter than Nudge's favorite little red dress she found in a magazine.

**From the Perspective of Finnick Odair**

I turn around to see Iggy staring at me looking redder than freshly caught salmon. I wave at him and he abruptly turns around to face the other way. _What's with him? Is it about me killing Phox? Does he not want to see me anymore? Does he think I am murderer or something?_ I feel really guilty for no reason. I did kill Phox, but Iggy killed Valencia and even I couldn't kill her. I scowl angrily, _Iggy shouldn't judge me if he did the same thing. _

"Um, Finnick?" he says, "can you, uh, y'know… cover up?" He is still facing the other way, but I can tell he is still blushing. _Oh it's not about yesterday,_ I feel relieved. I never really thought that he would be embarrassed about me being naked, but he was blind for what he says is his whole life. I don't really believe his story, but I'm not going to pry. I can't help but smile at his innocence. I'm his age, but I don't even think twice about stripping down. I pull on my pants and shirt. I've washed most of the blood and dirt off so I tell him its fine to turn around.

"Haven't you ever seen a guy in their birthday suit?" I taunt as I throw my arm over his shoulder after a while. He gives me a self-conscious smile and shakes his head. I shrug and sit down on the mucky ground. Iggy sits down next to me.

After a moment of silence Iggy asks, "So, um, who is Valencia, Phox, and Rupalia? I mean, who were they." Iggy looks at his feet awkwardly. He glances at me, sees my discomfort and adds, "how about you teach me to fish instead?"

"Nah, its cool." I say, "Why don't I teach you to fish while I tell you. Grab that knife for your fishing tool." I pick up my trident and stroll towards the water. Iggy follows me down.


	4. Your History

**From the Perspective of Iggy Griffiths**

Finnick begins, "Well, did you see the girl who was… who was already dead? Well, she was the tribute from my home. Her name is Terra Combe and we used to be fishing buddies. She wasn't the best fighter so Rupalia, Valencia, and Phox killed her. Rupalia Rowtien is from District Two. She is, sorry was, sixteen. She has a little sister who's named Omeena Rowtien who is ten. Valencia was the girl with the bow and arrow. We were friends when I was an ally with the Careers. Valencia and me would joke around with Terra. Valencia was from One. Phox was from Two with Rupalia. I don't really know much about who he was. He was more the kind of guy who would take his emotions out by killing people. We were premature allies because of our Career Districts. " He nods tightly. This is a lot to take in so I sit silently for a while. Finnick's mouth is a tight line.

I stare at the world. I still can't believe I can see. The arena is beautiful. It's deadly, but beautiful. The fake sun is setting and the lake glistens like glass. The giant basket, or Cornucopia as Finnick says, shines gold against the orange sunset. It looks a bit like how a tiger looks, not like I have ever seen a tiger, but I think it would look like the sunset. Finnick is wading through on the shore of the lake. I recline on a rock and close my eyes. Finnick's feet barely make a sound moving through the water and the air is warm. I drift off to sleep.

"Hey Ig, Iggy wake up, man" Finnick is nudging me awake. I rub my eyes and sit up. The sky is dark and the stars are out. The stars are not in the right formation I notice, probably because the Gamemakers couldn't replicate them. Finnick hands me a piece of fish. I stare at him. _Is he crazy? He didn't cook this! _"Don't worry. It's cooked, I'm not crazy." He reminds of Angel right then. I bite into it and I can't help but suck in a breath. It is hot and burns my tongue, but it tastes so good. It tastes really good compared to the trash I usually eat with Max and the Flock. I shove the piece of food into my mouth and close my eyes because of the heat. Finnick laughs at my expression. His laugh is melodious and brings a smile to my face. I begin to laugh and our voices mingle together. After all of the terror and sadness, laughing is a relief.

"Wait" Finnick says randomly. His eyes are wide and his face is full of fear. I gulp down my laughter and tense up. His bright eyes lock on me, and his hand moves to his trident. I glance around trying to see what he saw. I can't see anything so I listen. The arena sounds normal, but I keep listening. _There!_ A branch breaks and I turn. _What the…? _ I hear hissing and a snake tail being dragged across the ground. The tail sounds huge, too big to be a snake. I shudder in thought of what the animal might look like. I imagine it something like a freak I saw at the School.

"Mutts. We have to move." Finnick says, his voice barely a whisper. He crouches and disappears into the forest. I follow him in between the foliage. Finnick moves like a cat and I know that if I was still blind, I wouldn't be able to follow him. **CRASH! **One of the animals bursts though the trees. I scream. Finnick screams too. He pulls on my arm and begins to run. His arms pump by his sides and I dart after him. We run and run and run. I begin to feel my breath shorten. A low branch hits Finnick in the head and he stumbles. I run into him and we collapse over each other. I can only hear our breathing, heavy and ragged. We freeze in the dark and listen to the sounds of the beasts.

"What were those?" I gasp out. My face is hot and I feel sweaty even though a wind chills my bones.

Finnick's face is white against the dark of the night. "Those are called mutts." He doesn't say any more.

He probably thinks I already know what a "mutt" is, but I don't, aside from the dog. I begin to voice my questions, "What's a mutt? Like the dog? We have a mutt. My family, I mean. I don't think that's-" He cuts me off by shoving his hand over my mouth. A twig snaps near us and Finnick bolts up. He takes off again and I follow behind him. I can hear them chasing after us, hissing.

"Mutts are muttations. The Gamemakers probably made these to herd the tributes together." Finnick shouts to me. I nod curtly and think, _the Gamemakers made these. The Gamemakers are like White Coats, only it's okay for them to hurt kids. Society is fine with it._

Finnick halts at the end of the woods. The peninsula is surrounded by black water and it looks ominous. The Cornucopia stands on the neck of land. The world looks more dangerous now than it did earlier. I can hear the mutts hissing as they close in on their prey. Finnick and I are their prey. "We go on three." Finnick orders, "one…" I tense "two…" I can hear them crashing through the undergrowth, my blood runs cold. "THREE!" Finnick barks. I leap forward, distancing myself from the beasts. Finnick is climbing the Cornucopia. He can't climb with a trident in his hands and he drops it. He scrambles up the ridges with ease. I snap open my wings and surge forward. I swoop over the ground and snatch his trident off of the grass. I fly to Finnick and hand him his trident. He gives me a look of thankfulness. In a second his expression changes to shock. I feel pain all over and I get pulled to the ground.


	5. The End

**From the Perspective of Finnick Odair**

The mutts look like skinny horses. They have scaly skin and forked tongues that flicker in and out like snake's tongues. The mutts have four soulless black eyes. I can see their ribs poking through their sickly green skin. The muttations have no mane or tail like a horse and their teeth are like a shark's. They look like demon-horses.

"Iggy!" I scream. One mutt has Iggy's wing in his devilish teeth and one of its graying hoofs on his wing. It yanks its head backwards and Iggy cries out in pain. I can see the joint of the wing being ripped out of its socket. Iggy howls in pain again and claws at the ground. _I have to get Iggy, _I think. I seize my trident and leap down from the Cornucopia. I hit the ground running. Tears spring from Iggy's eyes. I ram into the mutt attacking Iggy. It falls over and hisses angrily, kicking out. One of its hoofs hits Iggy's head and blood begins to flow. I thrust my trident into the abomination's chest. It goes limp. I lean down to help Iggy up, but he is unconscious, blood is still seeping through his strawberry-blonde hair. Another mutt leaps at me, its tongue flickers out between its sharp teeth. The new mutt rears up to kick me. I stab it in the neck and it falls onto one of its comrades. I grab Iggy's shirt and unceremoniously drag him to the Cornucopia. I shove him onto the top of it and I begin to climb up it.

I collapse on the top of the Cornucopia. Fighting the mutts had reopened the wound on my arm. I look up. The boy from eleven is standing over me. Blood is trickling out of the wound he gave me. The boy looks pretty bad. He has cuts all over his body and a black eye. He realizes that I'm the guy he almost killed and his eyes light up in a horrible way. I squeeze my eyes shut because the last image I want to see is not my killer's face. I am in no shape to fight. I'm weak and bloodied.

"Say goodbye, Four" he sneers behind my closed eyelids. I can imagine his arm rising to hit me over the head. I wince, waiting for the blow. I hear the boy wheeze out and I open my eyes. The boy from eleven is standing over me. His eyes are round and they fix on me for a second and he tries to say something. All that comes out is a small grunt. He falls backward and lands with a **THUMP! **On the Cornucopia. A **BOOM!** Tells me that he is dead.I stare, _how did he die? _Then I see it, a long, deadly, barbed quill protruding from his blood-spattered chest. Behind him, a mutt has its tail above its head like a scorpion. A quill shoots out of its tail, but its aim was too low and the quill lodges itself in one of the gold ridges on the Cornucopia. I slam onto the ground as another barb whizzes over my head and a spike re-grows in its place on the mutt's tail.

A girl yelps somewhere in the moonlight. "Get down!" A boy answers. A figure is pulled onto the ground and I realize it is the pair from Seven. I somehow climbed the Cornucopia with my trident the second time and I grab it in the dark. It takes a second for the spikes to re-grow on his tail. I jump up as soon as that second comes. My right shoulder rotates backward and my hand grips the trident tight. Then, like a spring, my arm shoots forward. The trident flies from my fingers. My entire torso swivels. My left leg lifts off of the ground and follows my hips. The momentum from my entire body propels the trident forward. It finds its mark and lodges itself deep in the mutt's neck. The mutt screeches in pain and rears backward. It kicks out and falls onto a different mutt. The muttations begin to fight with each other and I crouch near Iggy.

"Okay," I think out loud. I'm trying to calm myself down. I need to help Iggy. "Its okay Finnick. He doesn't look so bad."

"He looks bad." A girls voice says behind me. I flinch and whip my head around. A girl with messy muddy-brown hair is standing above me. In a smooth movement she leans down next to Iggy. She has large dark eyes, the trademark look of everyone from District Seven. A boy stands next to her with a rat's nest of black hair and, of course, large dark eyes.

"You better take a step back or I will kill you," I growl menacingly. The effect I want doesn't work very well because I am pale from lack of blood and I feel almost to weak to move. If I was sitting I would not be able to get up very fast.

The boy puts his hands over his head in a sign of peace. "We're against this slaughter. We won't hurt you. Nitya is a healer in Seven. She is going to help your friend. We won't hurt you." He sounds incredibly honest.

I nod. "Sorry Nitya, right?" I slouch a bit in relief. Nitya gives me a small nod without looking at me. She is pressing on Iggy's chest and then mutters something about his ribs being whole and how strong they must be. It sounds a bit crazy to me because Iggy is skinny and doesn't look very strong. "He has wings by the way." She nods as if the fact of his wings doesn't matter.

"My name is Leonis Alary and Nitya's last name is Aldjoy. We're from District Seven. Nitya heals people and I chop trees. We met when a tree fell on my leg and we became friends. Then we became more than friends." Nitya's pale face blushes in the moonlight, but Leonis smiles brightly.

"I'm Finnick. So Iggy is going to live, right?" I ask. My mind races, _please say yes. Please say yes._

"Well," she says carefully. _Oh no, _my eyes widen. "He will not survive in the arena. If he was in the Capitol he would, but since he's not… I'm sorry. He will not live for long." I fall onto my knees and Leonis puts his hand on my shoulder. _Wait, if he is in the Capitol… _My hand slowly creeps to a quill stuck deep inside the golden horn. _If I can get Iggy to the Capitol he would live. But that would mean I would have to kill myself. _I'm torn, but I know one thing. Leonis and Nitya have to die to keep Iggy alive.

"Hey Leonis…" I say. My hand pulls the barb out of its hole silently.

"Yeah?" he answers. I grip my makeshift weapon tighter and I shift my centre of weight. I will be moving a lot really soon and I can't fall over. That could kill me and Iggy.

Leonis realizes what I'm doing fast. His eyes widen and he begins to move backward. I pounce on him. Nitya shouts in alarm. Leonis is on the ground and I pin his shoulders down with my knees. I raise the spike above my head, I need this hit to count. I shove it deep into his chest. **BOOM! **Nitya leaps at me and pushes me off of him. She is on me in a second, screaming bloody murder at the top of her lungs. She hits me in the stomach, but it barely hurts. I kick her in the face and her nose begins to bleed. She falls onto the ground face-first. She pushes herself up. Her hair is slick with blood and tears. She looks at me with her dark eyes. They peer into my soul. They see my thoughts and how I hate myself for killing Leonis. Her eyes see look at my broken heart and soul. They see how I cried after I was chosen and no cameras were on me. They see my thoughts about every girl that has ever flirted with me. They see how I feel about the odd girl I met swimming at night.

"Finnick" she says softly. I look at her, crouched on the ground in the dark like a baby animal, a helpless girl whose love was just killed. She reminds me of Valencia in a way. I stare at her. "Please kill me." My face must have registered my astonishment because she explained. "I don't know why you killed Leonis, but I can't live without him. He is everything. I need him to actually live my life. I need him." Her eyes are pleading me to kill her. I can't kill her, I know I can't, but my hand still reaches for the quill sticking out of Leonis' chest. I stare at it in my hand. It seems part of the night. The blood glitters in the little light and it's so thin, I couldn't imagine it killing someone. "Finnick?" she says. Her voice is sweet and pure. It squeaks some from her tears and pain, but it is beautiful. I look up. Nitya has silently jumped from he Cornucopia to the ground. She moves gently and with her large eyes and soft feet she reminds me of a deer. I will never be able to kill her. She walks to the muttation I recently killed without hesitation. She leans towards its face and touches the scaly cheek as if comforting it. She pulls my trident out of its neck and wipes away the small river of blood that leaks from the wound. She methodically stands and cleans my trident on the grass. She climbs up the Cornucopia and walks to Leonis' body. She stands over him and then, without a word, she raises the trident and pushes it through her chest. I catch her as she falls and I lay her down next to Leonis. She is almost gone, but she gives me a true smile. As she leaves the arena forever, a single tear drifts down her cheek and she closes her eyes. I blink away a few of my own tears.

"Goodbye" I whisper to the pair from Seven. I hear the now-familiar **BOOM!** A hovercraft comes to take them away and I turn my attention to Iggy. I kneel next to his body and put my hand over his heart. A faint thumping gives me relief.

"Just hang on, Iggy. Just hang on, you're going to be home soon." I brush a piece of hair out o his eyes. His eyes that used to not see. He never saw his sisters or brothers. Never. A tear is onto my lashes. It drops onto Iggy's shirt and leaves a dark stain. I stand and pick up my trident. I stare at the arena. The sun is rising and throwing streaks of pink across the bloody grass. The Cornucopia gleams and the water reflects the pink sky. I stand over Iggy. His wings wrap around his body and his knees are pulled toward his chest. His eyes are closed lightly and his hair is like a halo around his head. He is an angel. He is an angel fallen from the heavens and sent to keep me sane in this blood bath. My trident feels to heavy for me to hold. It would be so easy to kill him, to put him out of his pain. He wouldn't fight. I would win. I could see the ocean again. It would be so simple just to push it through his lungs or heart or neck. I could do it, but I would never be able to live. My life would be full of sadness. I would hate myself. Iggy's life would be full of sadness if I killed myself for him. He would feel regret for me, I know that much. He can lie, but I know how he feels. I think, _Twenty-four come in to the arena, but one must come out._

I lift my trident high and let it fall into Iggy's chest. I close my eyes and hear the cannon. I hear a Gamemaker saying how I won. I won by killing my friend. I won by killing my guardian angel.

**From the Perspective of Iggy Griffiths**

I snap upward. I can almost feel the trident pushing into my chest. A scream leaks out of my mouth. I blink. I blink again, but see nothing. No Finnick, no arena, no mutts. Not anything. Not even the sky. All I see is black.

"Iggy." Jeb's voice says soothingly. "Are you okay?" Tears begin to slide down my cheeks. I'm at the Institute. I know it. I'm also blind. "Do you know where you are?" His voice is soft, but not like Finnick's voice. Finnick's voice that was strong and caring. "You're at the Institute." Even though I knew this I still hate to hear it. I whimper. "Do you know what is real and what was fake?" I hate him. I hate what he is going to say. "The Institute is real, but the Hunger Games is not. There is no Finnick. There is no Phox or Valencia or Terra or Rupalia. They were all fake. They were all tests. You could never see because your eyesight was fake." For some reason it hurts more to know that Finnick never existed, compared to knowing I could never see. I hate Jeb. I want to talk to Finnick. I want to hear his voice. I want to know he is alive, even though he never was. But I can't ever see him. Never.


End file.
